Rococo is a collection of paintings that I have been working on since spring 2011. The inspiration for this collection comes from that period in French Art History where a more relaxed natural art style emerged in the late 18th century. Artists and designers developed more asymmetrical flowing design elements into their work, incorporating natural and organic symbols of birds, flora and fauna.
It was the colour mood of this era which inspired me and I have experimented with a new palette by using an umber ground. This creates a medium toned base on which I apply impasto layers of luminous oils in sherbet pinks, warm flesh tones french greys and greens, powder blues and buttery yellows. From the earthy umber base tones and sympathetic sienna’s and ochre’s, fair haired figures emerge. The element of surprise at what new colour approaches bring to the final painting is why I am constantly reappraising and challenging myself. My subject matter is a tight rope of inclusion and elimination, as I have, like most of us living in this part of the world, access to a wealth of visual information. So I source my ideas from the media, art history, architecture and the decorative arts. I get ideas from reading books and poetry for example the painting Reading by Moonlight is inspired from the poem ‘The Letter’ by Amy Lowell. Then there is the physical reality of my personal life. I paint my family and pets and the objects around me. Lucy Doyle February 2012
It was the colour mood of this era which inspired me and I have experimented with a new palette by using an umber ground. This creates a medium toned base on which I apply impasto layers of luminous oils in sherbet pinks, warm flesh tones french greys and greens, powder blues and buttery yellows. From the earthy umber base tones and sympathetic sienna’s and ochre’s, fair haired figures emerge. The element of surprise at what new colour approaches bring to the final painting is why I am constantly reappraising and challenging myself. My subject matter is a tight rope of inclusion and elimination, as I have, like most of us living in this part of the world, access to a wealth of visual information. So I source my ideas from the media, art history, architecture and the decorative arts. I get ideas from reading books and poetry for example the painting Reading by Moonlight is inspired from the poem ‘The Letter’ by Amy Lowell. Then there is the physical reality of my personal life. I paint my family and pets and the objects around me. Lucy Doyle February 2012
